The Afghan side expressed gratitude for the measures taken by the Uzbek side to strengthen bilateral relations and the substantial assistance provided to Afghanistan.
At the meeting, the guests refuted the misinformation spread by the media that Afghanistan allegedly plans to terminate cooperation with Uzbekistan Temir Yullari JSC. In spite of this, B. Sharofat separately stressed the intention to strengthen bilateral cooperation and planning its further expansion. The Afghan side expressed full satisfaction with the work of the Sogdiana-Trans DP (subordinate to Uzbekistan Temir Yullari JSC) for the operation of the Hairaton-Mazar-I-Sharif railway line, which has been operating since the commissioning of this line, since 2011.
Given the current situation in the second half of 2021, there was a significant decrease in railway freight turnover in Afghanistan. Thanks to the joint work carried out in the first quarter of 2022, the volume of cargo turnover reached last year's level (more than 1.1 million tons). During the negotiations, the Afghan side stressed its readiness, together with Uzbekistan Temir Yullari JSC, to organize work to maximize the use of opportunities to accelerate the unloading of wagons, thereby increasing the volume of incoming cargo at the Hairaton station, as well as accelerating the rehabilitation of the Naibabot and Mazar-I-Sharif stations.
Within the framework of the meeting, a visit to the educational center for training Afghan citizens in Termez, created on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, was organized. In addition, the guests got acquainted with the training center at the Termez locomotive depot, where Afghan young railway specialists undergo practical training. The delegation talked with promising personnel of their country, got acquainted with the conditions of training and life created for them. Further cooperation in the educational sphere was discussed, in particular, it is planned to create a field training center on the basis of the Hairaton station in Afghanistan together with Uzbek railway workers to train and improve the skills of Afghan railway specialists.
The delegation of Afghanistan separately stressed the importance of the implementation of infrastructure, especially railway projects, since currently one of the vectors of the development of cooperation between Afghanistan is the interest in participating in projects for the integration of Central Asia with South Asia. In this regard, a separate point of negotiations was the issue of accelerating the implementation of the project "Construction of the Mazar-I-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway". In particular, details on the organization and conduct of a field expedition along the route and thereby contribute to accelerating the preparation of a feasibility study for the construction of a new railway line, the Uzbekistan Temir Yullari information and analytical media center reports.
